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How Low To Cut The Grass

#1

O

outdoors Joe

I cut my grass too low last fall and now I have to reseed my yard. I knew better and am very disappointed since I had cut it higher all summer. What height do you cut your grass?


#2

Jetblast

Jetblast

I'm in Southern Ohio and I shoot for 3", then step it up to 3.5" during late summer when it's hot and dry. I find that the grass stays healthier this way and as a side benefit, the mower deck takes less of a beating.


#3

K

KennyV

2 1/2 to 3 1/2 shorter in the spring and like Jetblast, longer as it gets hotter and drier... :smile:KennyV


#4

P

pollyannasmum

I just love mowing our lawn and I probably cut too low but I just do it by eye. As long as it looks good, I don't mind! My next door neighbour has been out with his mower three times today going over the same piece of lawn. What's that all about I wonder?


#5

JDgreen

JDgreen

pollyannasmum said:
I just love mowing our lawn and I probably cut too low but I just do it by eye. As long as it looks good, I don't mind! My next door neighbour has been out with his mower three times today going over the same piece of lawn. What's that all about I wonder?
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He is probably like my brother in law, who insists his lawn look like a putting green, and has a screaming fit if somebody happens to drive their car on it.....:eek::confused2::eek::confused2:...

What is the big deal here, I don't care if ANYBODY drives on even the best part of my lawn...


#6

D

DB LAWN ENFORCEMENT

Id stay at 3"-3.5" in hot weather so the sun doesn't burn it up an 2.75" in spring an fall so u don't jave to mow as often an it looks real nice


#7

P

Pika

I'm not sure, inchwise, but it's deep enough to stay green but short enough to look cut :laughing:. I would love to have some sort of ground cover that only grows two or three inches tall so I would NEVER have to mow!


#8

CompactTractorFan

CompactTractorFan

I think we had this very same discussion on TBN last year...:thumbsup:


#9

CompactTractorFan

CompactTractorFan

JDgreen said:
He is probably like my brother in law, who insists his lawn look like a putting green, and has a screaming fit if somebody happens to drive their car on it.....:eek::confused2::eek::confused2:...

What is the big deal here, I don't care if ANYBODY drives on even the best part of my lawn...
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Ugh...:mad:...The guy across the street is like that...I used to be friends with his son, and his dad got mad even if a skateboard rolled onto his lawn :confused2: :rolleyes:...He also constantly sprays and fertilizes. On a side note, once his son came over here and took a hammer out of my tool box and proceeded to dig up OUR lawn with it. What's up with that??? :mad: :confused:


#10

jd335

jd335

just remember if you have fescue or blue grass on your lawn the roots remain the same length as the top in other words if your grass is 3 inches high the roots are 3 inches long. it the heat of the summer it will dry out out faster because of the short roots. after memeriol day i mow 4 inches unless it is a very wet time.


#11

A

abeja_reina_1989

I like to cut my grass as low as I possibly can because then I don't have to cut again so soon. I have never been a fan of cutting grass so I like to do anything I can in order to not have to cut that much.


#12

grnspot110

grnspot110

I try to never cut less than 3-1/2", better for the grass! ~~ grnspot


#13

O

outdoors Joe

I don't know what I was thinking by cutting the grass so short last fall. I cut it at the height many have recommended here all summer, and then decided to cut it low, really low, on the last cutting of the season. I doubt that I'll make that mistake again since I'm reseeding my yard this spring because of it.


#14

Jetblast

Jetblast

Although it would seem counter-intuitive, cutting higher actually increases the time you can wait between mowings. The rule of thumb for healthy grass is to not cut more than 1/3 of the length at a time, so if your grass is cut 1" high you should cut again at 1.5". On the other hand if you cut to 3", you can wait until it's 4.5" inches high which means you can sit on the sidelines for one full inch more growth. In my experience whether cut high or low, the lawn takes about the same amount of time to start looking raggedy again anyway, so it was that and the lawn health thing that got me cutting higher some years ago.

There's a pretty good overview of cutting height here.


#15

T

timlinden

Thanks for sharing guys! I've been cutting at 3in thinking it was high (I thought I read 2-3in somewhere).


#16

J

jenkinsph

I used to cut mine lower and smartened up a few years ago. Now I cut mine at 4 inches in the summer and wait for it to get about 6 inches before cutting. It does look better after a couple of years doing this.


#17

fry

fry

I like to keep my grass longer. I think it looks better and I've heard that it helps cut down on the weeds.
I think the setting is 3.5 or closer to four.
Some people on my street scalp their grass and I think it looks terrible, in my opinion.


#18

exotion

exotion

fry said:
I like to keep my grass longer. I think it looks better and I've heard that it helps cut down on the weeds.
I think the setting is 3.5 or closer to four.
Some people on my street scalp their grass and I think it looks terrible, in my opinion.
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I agree scalping is very bad. There are two types of lawns I cut I have my regular lawns where I cut at about 3" then I have my golf course green lawns where they put so much water and weed control plus I put a hardy amount of fert down I cut between 1" and 2"


#19

Ric

Ric

fry said:
I like to keep my grass longer. I think it looks better and I've heard that it helps cut down on the weeds.
I think the setting is 3.5 or closer to four.
Some people on my street scalp their grass and I think it looks terrible, in my opinion.
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Scalped grass does look terrible and it's not healthy for the root system, it exposes the root system to decease and insects especially St Augustine grass.


#20

S

sgmgarden

I would suggest you cut your grass at around 3 inches. It's important that you don't cut it too short, especially throughout summer months when it is very hot. This can cause more problems than its worth as it tends to encourage moss and weeds to grow. I'm sure you don't want the hassle of having to deal with them!


#21

jekjr

jekjr

abeja_reina_1989 said:
I like to cut my grass as low as I possibly can because then I don't have to cut again so soon. I have never been a fan of cutting grass so I like to do anything I can in order to not have to cut that much.
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I see a lot of people who say that. We have several customers also that won't hear it any other way. Truth of the matter is though you can cut it at about three inches or more and you won't have to cut it any more often and it will look better in the long run. We cut a lot of yards at 2" because the customer won't hear it any other way. What they are doing is killing the beneficial grasses which normally around here is Centipede and allowing the Bahia grass to thrive. It s counter productive.

I have a customer that he and I had this discussion a while back and he finally agree to allow me to cutting at three inches. Within 4 weeks his yard looks incredibly better.


#22

Carscw

Carscw

Ha ha I know people that will not cut there grass until April 1st because that is when grass cutting season starts. It will be a foot tall and they will tell you they never cut the grass early

(( racing is the only sport that you need two balls ))


#23

N

Nicholas Schulz

If you want a proper growth of your grass then cut it few days before the rainy season, make sure that after cutting it should be atleast 1/2'' in height, because it take almost equal duration to get rid and get perfect green grassy grass, growth of grass depends on weather more than cutting size.


#24

lawn mower fanatic

lawn mower fanatic

Nicholas Schulz said:
If you want a proper growth of your grass then cut it few days before the rainy season, make sure that after cutting it should be atleast 1/2'' in height, because it take almost equal duration to get rid and get perfect green grassy grass, growth of grass depends on weather more than cutting size.
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As you can see it varies around the world. Here, if you cut the grass at 1/2" (except golf courses), there would be nothing left but dirt! :eek:


#25

Ric

Ric

Most grasses have a range of recommended mowing heights and you should stay at the upper end of that range in hot weather, drought or even wet conditions. In cooler weather, you can cut your grass a little lower. Basically never removing more than one-third of the grass blade in any one mowing is the best way to cut your lawn, that way you never stress the grass or root system and you'll end up with the best looking lawn possible.


#26

lawn mower fanatic

lawn mower fanatic

Ric said:
Most grasses have a range of recommended mowing heights and you should stay at the upper end of that range in hot weather, drought or even wet conditions. In cooler weather, you can cut your grass a little lower. Basically never removing more than one-third of the grass blade in any one mowing is the best way to cut your lawn, that way you never stress the grass or root system and you'll end up with the best looking lawn possible.
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Yep. For example in the summer I was cutting the grass fairly high, but there are some people that want it cut short, and when I did, it looked bad and scalped. But this fall I cut the grass fairly low and then a week or so ago I cut it for the last time, low again. It didn't look low at all, because I only cut maybe an inch off. It looked good...not like this (this is not my work).

bigscalping0001.jpg


#27

jakewells

jakewells

i mow at 4.0 inches and mulch it the grass is a mixture of tall fescue and blue grass. i use 19-19-19 fertilizer every spring along with new seed and lime. i love a thick dark green lawn


#28

wjjones

wjjones

I do 3" through the season, and 3.5" in the fall or winter.


#29

O

OldSalt

I put my mower on the highest setting I can (about 4" )and keep my lawn at that height all summer. I have St Augustine so the higher it is, the thicker it gets, and the healthier it stays.


#30

Bob E

Bob E

I mow 3-4". I think taller grass looks better, it's definitely healthier and greener anyway, but I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority on this. It seems like every neighbor I've ever lived next to is only limited by how low their decks can cut, and it never takes them very long to figure out they can take a few swipes across the property line and make their patch of yellow grass look bigger. :thumbdown:


#31

Nwatson99

Nwatson99

3.25" inches is what I mow all this property at.


#32

LazerZLandscaping

LazerZLandscaping

3 in for most of my clients.

I have a few golf courses I take care of, that is between 2 in and 1.5 in.


#33

S

stevendrew12

If it looks shaggy, you should have mowed yesterday. don't remove more than 1/3 of the blade for the first couple of mowings. decent turf grass does just fine when mowed properly. Just my two cents.


#34

S

Shughes717

Nwatson99 said:
3.25" inches is what I mow all this property at.
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That is what I mow my lawn at now as well. My wife likes the stripes and my kids like the way the grass feels to their bare feet. I have one neighbor beside me who mows his grass at 2 inches. It looks yellow when he mows. The members of the church across from me mow the church lot at 2.5. It looks ok, but it would look much better if they mowed it higher. There is a long 4 acre stretch the church uses for recreation that would look great striped.


#35

B

Blaine B.

My dad and his dad were always very anal about walking on grass. Yet they walk on it when they mowed it. Very odd.

At least they weren't the screaming type. When I was young I encountered some people like that who would storm out of their homes if they caught you on their lawn. Absolutely ridiculous.


#36

S

Shughes717

Blaine B. said:
My dad and his dad were always very anal about walking on grass. Yet they walk on it when they mowed it. Very odd.

At least they weren't the screaming type. When I was young I encountered some people like that who would storm out of their homes if they caught you on their lawn. Absolutely ridiculous.
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Man, I would have stayed in trouble when I was a kid if my dad got upset when we got in the grass. When we got a heavy rain my brothers and I would play in it. We used the lawn like a slip and slide lol. Dug holes and used the water hose to fill them to make mud pies too. Did get in trouble for that though.


#37

B

Blaine B.

It's grass, it's rugged. It's not a piece of fine china! Why would it be a crime to step on it?


#38

S

Shughes717

Blaine B. said:
It's grass, it's rugged. It's not a piece of fine china! Why would it be a crime to step on it?
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I agree, though my brothers and I were pretty rough on the lawn. It would leave a long strip of bare mud where we would slide during rains. We also rode three wheelers and 4 wheelers all over the property as well. The grass would always grow back, but there are several rough places in the yard that I'm sure we caused as kids. Lol


#39

bt3

bt3

lawn mower fanatic said:
Yep. For example in the summer I was cutting the grass fairly high, but there are some people that want it cut short, and when I did, it looked bad and scalped. But this fall I cut the grass fairly low and then a week or so ago I cut it for the last time, low again. It didn't look low at all, because I only cut maybe an inch off. It looked good...not like this (this is not my work).

bigscalping0001.jpg
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You must have been driving through my neighborhood. :smile:

To be fair, most of the homeowners near me hire lawn service. A few of us like to mow ourselves. My next door neighbors on both sides scalp to the max factor, usually in the height of summer. It's almost like a competition to see who can mow the most in a 1 week period and how low you can mow without hitting paydirt. :laughing: One neighbor sometimes lets his lawn go for weeks until it is about 6 inches high, then he scalps it down to the root over and over and over again with a large Toro Lawn Tractor with vacuum attachment two or three times a week, then he lets it go again for two or three weeks with no mowing, then scalps the daylights out of it a few times a week. And he wonders why he's full of Crabgrass? The other neighbor just scalps it once a week whether it needs it or not.


#40

Z

Zeroturner

I've never measured, but for the most part I set the deck only 1 notch down from the highest setting possible in the summer months.

I'd rather set it lower, but I don't water my grass (not with 1 1/2 acres to water) and the Texas summer heat with little rain means if I were to cut the lawn shorter would deprive it of much needed moisture.


#41

bt3

bt3

Zeroturner said:
I've never measured, but for the most part I set the deck only 1 notch down from the highest setting possible in the summer months.

I'd rather set it lower, but I don't water my grass (not with 1 1/2 acres to water) and the Texas summer heat with little rain means if I were to cut the lawn shorter would deprive it of much needed moisture.
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Yep. I do the same thing. One notch below max height in the summer. I'm guessing this is about 3 inches in height, but like you, I have never actually "Measured" the actual height of the cut.


#42

Bob E

Bob E

I've never actually measure the grass, but when I check the deck for adjustment once a season I measure the height of the blade over the floor of my shed. The neighbors don't look at me as funny that way :laughing:


#43

bt3

bt3

Bob E said:
I've never actually measure the grass, but when I check the deck for adjustment once a season I measure the height of the blade over the floor of my shed. The neighbors don't look at me as funny that way :laughing:
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Speaking of neighbors looking at you in a funny way;

Reminds me of a guy in our neighborhood when I was growing up. He was a lawn guru. He'd be out all weekend working on the lawn. He'd mow, then go out on his hands and knees preening the lawn looking for weeds and grooming it. When he was retired, if it was sunny, you were sure to see him out there preening the lawn on his hands and knees. OK, so the lots were only 1/4 acre, but still, on your hands and knees preening is a sight that most neighbors would comment and look at him in a funny way.

BUT, his lawn was amazing. Spotless. It looked spectacular. You can't fault him for that. It was his hobby. And he never mowed too short. Always cut to the proper height. I never saw him with a lawn spreader dropping anything on the lawn. No fertilizer and no weed killer. Just good ole fashioned hands and knees power with a bushel basket to drop the weeds and thatch into. Now that was a guy with dedication to his lawn. :smile:


#44

S

Shughes717

bt3 said:
Speaking of neighbors looking at you in a funny way;

Reminds me of a guy in our neighborhood when I was growing up. He was a lawn guru. He'd be out all weekend working on the lawn. He'd mow, then go out on his hands and knees preening the lawn looking for weeds and grooming it. When he was retired, if it was sunny, you were sure to see him out there preening the lawn on his hands and knees. OK, so the lots were only 1/4 acre, but still, on your hands and knees preening is a sight that most neighbors would comment and look at him in a funny way.

BUT, his lawn was amazing. Spotless. It looked spectacular. You can't fault him for that. It was his hobby. And he never mowed too short. Always cut to the proper height. I never saw him with a lawn spreader dropping anything on the lawn. No fertilizer and no weed killer. Just good ole fashioned hands and knees power with a bushel basket to drop the weeds and thatch into. Now that was a guy with dedication to his lawn. :smile:
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I would love to have a lawn like that. I may be able to do a small portion in front of my house, but it is difficult just to keep 4.2 acres mowed and trimmed. I do plan on spraying it this fall and again in the spring for weed control. I may fertilize a few places, but not the whole lawn. When I retire ( no time in the near future ) I plan on working to make my lawn the best one in the county. My neighbors already comment on how much better it looks, but no where near where I want it.


#45

bt3

bt3

Shughes717 said:
I would love to have a lawn like that. I may be able to do a small portion in front of my house, but it is difficult just to keep 4.2 acres mowed and trimmed. I do plan on spraying it this fall and again in the spring for weed control. I may fertilize a few places, but not the whole lawn. When I retire ( no time in the near future ) I plan on working to make my lawn the best one in the county. My neighbors already comment on how much better it looks, but no where near where I want it.
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My big problem is Crabgrass invasion from both neighbors. One neighbor's front lawn (and I'm not exaggerating) is probably 80 percent Crabgrass. I have to spray weekly to stop invasion from both sides. Sometimes I mow with my Scott's 20" Reel Mower (hand push) and Crabgrass is TOUGH to mow with that. Years ago I was out of town for a month and had a service mow for me, and when I returned that side of my lawn was about 50 percent Crabgrass. What a pain in the axx to mow by hand. Took weeks to kill it, and a month to establish healthy grass in place of the Crab.

Anyway, I can't preen out all that Crabgrass by hand. Literally hundreds of plants to pluck. I've had good luck with Ortho Weed Be Gone with Crabgrass Killer. Takes a few applications but it does kill the Crab and leave most healthy grass behind.


#46

S

Shughes717

bt3 said:
My big problem is Crabgrass invasion from both neighbors. One neighbor's front lawn (and I'm not exaggerating) is probably 80 percent Crabgrass. I have to spray weekly to stop invasion from both sides. Sometimes I mow with my Scott's 20" Reel Mower (hand push) and Crabgrass is TOUGH to mow with that. Years ago I was out of town for a month and had a service mow for me, and when I returned that side of my lawn was about 50 percent Crabgrass. What a pain in the axx to mow by hand. Took weeks to kill it, and a month to establish healthy grass in place of the Crab.

Anyway, I can't preen out all that Crabgrass by hand. Literally hundreds of plants to pluck. I've had good luck with Ortho Weed Be Gone with Crabgrass Killer. Takes a few applications but it does kill the Crab and leave most healthy grass behind.
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Got crab grass and nut grass all over my lawn. Plan on using something we have used for years in the cotton fields to prevent it from coming up next spring.


#47

bt3

bt3

Shughes717 said:
Got crab grass and nut grass all over my lawn. Plan on using something we have used for years in the cotton fields to prevent it from coming up next spring.
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Pray tell! What is this "something" you use? Is it commercially available? Does it kill ALL grasses or only Crabgrass? I don't want a "Roundup" product that lays waste to everything. I just want to kill the Crab.

I have tried "Scott's Pre Emergent" and it works OK, but since one of the Neighbors actually grows Crabgrass as his lawn, invasion is imminent. I need something good to kill it once it invades.

Again, Ortho Weed Be Gone with Crabgrass Killer works OK, but you have to be diligent. Perhaps your solution would be better.

Thanks!


#48

B

Blaine B.

That's one way to do it....have a yard full of crabgrass!


#49

bt3

bt3

Blaine B. said:
That's one way to do it....have a yard full of crabgrass!
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One of my friends always said, "If Crabgrass was a Perennial, I would grow it as a lawn."

Not me. I'm not a fan of Crabgrass.


#50

B

Blaine B.

Seems to me that it would be more like a southern grass.


#51

bt3

bt3

Blaine B. said:
Seems to me that it would be more like a southern grass.
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Yes. I know in Florida, Zoysia is predominant. They say it can thrive as far north as Chicago, but prefers warm climates. I'm not sure Crabgrass would tolerate high heat and potential drought of some Florida summers. Perhaps. I don't recall seeing Crabgrass in Florida. I'm sure it exists there, but I just don't recall seeing it.

My Father (RIP) planted Zoysia plugs and his home was in the northern US. His lawn did fine. It just turned brown in the Winter but came back well every Summer. Zoysia needs less mowing as it grows out more than it grows up. It is drought tolerant and thrives well in the southern states. I'm just not a fan. I like a more northern or midwestern lawn grass mix. But that's me. Others will disagree I know.

I almost tried the Bob Vila endorsed, "Grassology" but after seeing the reviews on Amazon.com I passed. Most said NOTHING grew when planted, and that it was a huge waste of money.


#52

Carscw

Carscw

bt3 said:
Yes. I know in Florida, Zoysia is predominant. They say it can thrive as far north as Chicago, but prefers warm climates. I'm not sure Crabgrass would tolerate high heat and potential drought of some Florida summers. Perhaps. I don't recall seeing Crabgrass in Florida. I'm sure it exists there, but I just don't recall seeing it. My Father (RIP) planted Zoysia plugs and his home was in the northern US. His lawn did fine. It just turned brown in the Winter but came back well every Summer. Zoysia needs less mowing as it grows out more than it grows up. It is drought tolerant and thrives well in the southern states. I'm just not a fan. I like a more northern or midwestern lawn grass mix. But that's me. Others will disagree I know. I almost tried the Bob Vila endorsed, "Grassology" but after seeing the reviews on Amazon.com I passed. Most said NOTHING grew when planted, and that it was a huge waste of money.
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There are three types of zoysia grass.
I like emerald zoysia loves full sun but does fine in part shade. It is a grass not a vine so it grows up.

Is the best grass besides bent grass for stripping. And it will never have any type of weeds. It grows to thick for the weeds to grow.

Must have sharp blades to cut it. And most push mowers will just bog down.


#53

bt3

bt3

My back yard is my biggest issue. Lots of trees. Lots. These rob the soil of everything needed to grow grass, and the shade is not a picnic for grass either. I've even tried a variety called "Grounhog" that was supposed to grow no matter what. Well, it didn't grow.

Finally, I culled the herd. I cut down three key trees in the lawn that were robbing sun, and three more died from disease and I removed them. And voila. Grass grows now.

I like using my Scott's push REEL mower during the summer when it's just simple cutting, so Zoysia is out for me. I have experience trying to cut Crabgrass with a Reel mower. Not pretty. I imagine Zoysia would be just as tough as you state. So it's standard lawn grasses for me. I'll just have to keep spraying the neighbor's Crabgrass when it invades.


#54

S

Shughes717

bt3 said:
Pray tell! What is this "something" you use? Is it commercially available? Does it kill ALL grasses or only Crabgrass? I don't want a "Roundup" product that lays waste to everything. I just want to kill the Crab.

I have tried "Scott's Pre Emergent" and it works OK, but since one of the Neighbors actually grows Crabgrass as his lawn, invasion is imminent. I need something good to kill it once it invades.

Again, Ortho Weed Be Gone with Crabgrass Killer works OK, but you have to be diligent. Perhaps your solution would be better.

Thanks!
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It is called prowl. We used to spray it as a pre emerge while planting our crops. It has a residual, so it prevents crab grass and nut grass from coming up and will give my Bermuda grass time to establish. I have never used it on lawns with other grasses though. Don't know if it will kill zoysia, or other grasses. We use it with round up in the early spring before grass starts to grow. Round up will burn down my Bermuda lawn, but it will come back. If it is sprayed early enough it only kills weeds. I also mix round up with harmony in the early spring to keep clover out of my lawn. Worked great this year. I had thick clover all over when I purchased my home in march. Sprayed it with the round up harmony mix and had no clover all year. Cimmaron is another chemical we use. It does great killing weeds out of lawns, but very expensive to spray.


#55

bt3

bt3

Shughes717 said:
It is called prowl. We used to spray it as a pre emerge while planting our crops. It has a residual, so it prevents crab grass and nut grass from coming up and will give my Bermuda grass time to establish. I have never used it on lawns with other grasses though. Don't know if it will kill zoysia, or other grasses. We use it with round up in the early spring before grass starts to grow. Round up will burn down my Bermuda lawn, but it will come back. If it is sprayed early enough it only kills weeds. I also mix round up with harmony in the early spring to keep clover out of my lawn. Worked great this year. I had thick clover all over when I purchased my home in march. Sprayed it with the round up harmony mix and had no clover all year. Cimmaron is another chemical we use. It does great killing weeds out of lawns, but very expensive to spray.
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Thank you. Good info.


#56

7394

7394

Good info here, Thanks....


#57

G

GeorgeR

What type of grass? An answer is meaningless without knowing the location and grass species.

Check with your local University for recommended grass types and mowing heights. Recommendations are based on funded University studies and published, peer reviewed results. For example, a recommendation from someone who may be growing Kentucky bluegrass in Eastern Washington will be drastically different from someone growing fine fescue in Western Washington.

I don't know where you are located but a simple search comes up with:

Table 1. Mowing heights for Kentucky lawns.
Grass species Optimum height (inches)
Bermudagrass 1.0 to 2.0
Kentucky bluegrass 2.0 to 3.5
Perennial ryegrass 1.5 to 2.5
Tall fescue 2.0 to 3.5
Zoysiagrass 1.0 to 3.0


http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/AGR/AGR209/AGR209.pdf


#58

Carscw

Carscw

GeorgeR said:
What type of grass? An answer is meaningless without knowing the location and grass species. Check with your local University for recommended grass types and mowing heights. Recommendations are based on funded University studies and published, peer reviewed results. For example, a recommendation from someone who may be growing Kentucky bluegrass in Eastern Washington will be drastically different from someone growing fine fescue in Western Washington. I don't know where you are located but a simple search comes up with: Table 1. Mowing heights for Kentucky lawns. Grass species Optimum height (inches) Bermudagrass 1.0 to 2.0 Kentucky bluegrass 2.0 to 3.5 Perennial ryegrass 1.5 to 2.5 Tall fescue 2.0 to 3.5 Zoysiagrass 1.0 to 3.0 http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/AGR/AGR209/AGR209.pdf
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We are cutting bermuda at 3 inches right now.

The study might work in a class room but not out here in the real world.


#59

Lawnboy18

Lawnboy18

Carscw said:
We are cutting bermuda at 3 inches right now.

The study might work in a class room but not out here in the real world.
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Very true! One of the limital factors in laboratory researches. Too many controlled variables.

Anyways, during Spring and summer, I mow KBG at 2.5-3" inches. I sometimes mow it at 2" if the customer want's it short (I do warn them tho). If it is very dry I keep it at 3". In the fall 2.5". You don't want it too short before the harsh winter.


#60

G

GeorgeR

Lawnboy18 said:
Very true! One of the limital factors in laboratory researches. Too many controlled variables.

Anyways, during Spring and summer, I mow KBG at 2.5-3" inches. I sometimes mow it at 2" if the customer want's it short (I do warn them tho). If it is very dry I keep it at 3". In the fall 2.5". You don't want it too short before the harsh winter.
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You are disagreeing with the UK recommendations' yet cutting within their recommended range?


#61

G

GeorgeR

Carscw said:
We are cutting bermuda at 3 inches right now.

The study might work in a class room but not out here in the real world.
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The class room is on golf courses, seed farms, sports fields and multiple lots in varying conditions. It is taught to agronomists and to the professional turf industry as a whole. A commercial mower may have business reasons to mow longer than the recommended height for a specific species but that doesn't mean it is optimal. The recommended cut for Bermuda can vary between Common bermudagrass and Hybrid varieties with a finer texture such as Tifway 419.

If you want to go against every credentialed professional in the industry and recommend cutting outside the established recommended height range, it might be helpful to identify the type of Bermuda you are cutting and why your real world is right and everyone else is wrong in spite of multiple real world tests and trials. A simple search will produce pages of hits from multiple sources, including commercial lawn mowing professionals, scattered with additional warnings of the damage to Bermuda cutting too high can cause.


#62

Mike88se

Mike88se

3" to 4". I didn't read all the posts but I bet somebody pointed out the reasons to cut most lawn grass this height. I see so many lawn care guys cutting the St Augustine around here like its a putting green. I wonder if the customers ever wonder why their grass is more brown than green.


#63

Carscw

Carscw

Mike88se said:
3" to 4". I didn't read all the posts but I bet somebody pointed out the reasons to cut most lawn grass this height. I see so many lawn care guys cutting the St Augustine around here like its a putting green. I wonder if the customers ever wonder why their grass is more brown than green.
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We cut the grass higher then what the people that do not cut grass for a living day we should so that it stays green.

On a golf course the putting greens are cut every day. The rest is cut every couple of days so the grass stays green because they only trim 1/8 of s inch off it.

If I was to cut any type of bermuda at two inches it would have turned brown 2 months ago.


#64

Carscw

Carscw

GeorgeR said:
The class room is on golf courses, seed farms, sports fields and multiple lots in varying conditions. It is taught to agronomists and to the professional turf industry as a whole. A commercial mower may have business reasons to mow longer than the recommended height for a specific species but that doesn't mean it is optimal. The recommended cut for Bermuda can vary between Common bermudagrass and Hybrid varieties with a finer texture such as Tifway 419. If you want to go against every credentialed professional in the industry and recommend cutting outside the established recommended height range, it might be helpful to identify the type of Bermuda you are cutting and why your real world is right and everyone else is wrong in spite of multiple real world tests and trials. A simple search will produce pages of hits from multiple sources, including commercial lawn mowing professionals, scattered with additional warnings of the damage to Bermuda cutting too high can cause.
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First you do know that bermuda is a weed not a grass. And when it becomes a foot tall it is then called hay.

The tests you are talking about is in a controlled environment.

You can not compare a golf course that trims the grass every couple of days to a home owner that cuts every other week.

There are plenty of people that keep their Bermuda at 2 inches and 90% of the lawns look like crap.

It is very unhealthy to keep Bermuda at or under 2 inches when you go weeks with no rain. Or if you cut it every two weeks.

Show me a study that they cut 70 yards a week and still say to keep it 1 to 2 inches.


#65

Lawnboy18

Lawnboy18

GeorgeR said:
You are disagreeing with the UK recommendations' yet cutting within their recommended range?
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You seem very irritated and defensive!

Not disagreeing. Never said I did. Just gotta watch out with scientifical studies sometimes.

It is simple logics to mow high to retain moisture. It is written in many places on the web, books and more. I've even experienced it in my youg age when i was mowing too short.


#66

exotion

exotion

Thing about scientific studies. You will find a well funded good reputation group getting one result. While another well funded reputation group finding the exact opposite thing. It's kind of our own discretion as to what we believe. And for some of us what we see and experience is what we believe.


#67

Lawnboy18

Lawnboy18

exotion said:
Thing about scientific studies. You will find a well funded good reputation group getting one result. While another well funded reputation group finding the exact opposite thing. It's kind of our own discretion as to what we believe. And for some of us what we see and experience is what we believe.
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Welcome to the world of Psychology! Psyclones doing reasearches in labs and concluding some wacky stuff sometimes.


#68

bt3

bt3

I was in Hawaii a few weeks ago for business and was looking at the grass used at Condos there. Because it's Hawaii, you aren't going to have any grass dying out over the winter since winter is 80 degrees and sunny.
I would SWEAR they were using Crabgrass as lawn and cultivating it. I know....It's probably El Toro Zoysia variety, but damn it looks JUST like Crabgrass. Feels like it too. Not pleasant to walk on. This was everywhere there was full tropical sun.

Anyway, they cut it 2". I actually measured.

Some deeper shade areas had what looked like St. Augustine. Beautiful. Better than I have ever seen.

I have a place in Florida and I know Zoysia, but this variety in Hawaii really blew me away. You'd SWEAR it was Crabgrass!


#69

Mike88se

Mike88se

I was talking to one of my neighbors the other day. He was asking how much I charge for this lawn and that lawn and how often I cut. I told him I like to cut once a week and not too short. I asked him why his lawn guy cuts his grass so short. He said that it only needs to be done every 2 weeks that way and saves him money. I told him that's why his grass is mostly brown. He said I don't care and walked off :laughing:


#70

7394

7394

Mike88se - I guess it takes all kinds....:laughing:


#71

jakewells

jakewells

I cut at 4 inches year round i like it and so does the customers helps choke out weeds and the grass stays greener longer when we have droughts.


#72

bt3

bt3

My "Low-Cut" neighbor was out today doing fall mowing and leaf mulching and lawn scalping. It's a damn shame how he scalps his lawn. Actually hurts to see the poor grass cut down to the quick and in spots down to the dirt. This goes to show how hearty some lawns are. His always bounces back, although it looks like crap after his mowing. You gotta' love the tenacity of the grass! :)


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